Not having a good mac experience

A couple of months ago I bought my first Mac, a Mac Air with SSD drive. I wrote in this forum that I was unhappy that my 128 gig drive turned out to be only 113 gig and got many replies about the way these things are measured but I still feel that I was miss-lead as the difference is too much. As I am on the Caribbean Island of St. Martin my Mac is designated a South American model and had been packed somewhere in the USA at which time the latest ilife 09 software disc was put into the box with the machine. This was pushed under the machine and was therefore so distorted, on unpacking, as to be unplayable. I went to my local service center to purchase the extended warranty ($250) and mentioned this useless software disc to the service guy who said he would get me a replacement from Mac. A week or so later I was informed that Mac refused to replace the disc as they did not pack it. As this computer cost over $2500 I would have thought a 50 cent Dvd would not be too much to ask to ensure customer satisfaction but then I'm old fashioned that way. My next disappointment with the world of Mac has nothing to do with Mac as such but I tried to purchase the recovery system Undercover from Orbicule. I went to the trouble of getting a visa moneycard so I could pay on line (I refuse to have credit cards.) On filling in the online purchase form I was refused the transaction as I was informed my email service is a free service, what is that about? I thought most people had free email accounts. Does anybody do business with the goal of pleasing their customers nowadays?

captainstuart said:

A couple of months ago I bought my first Mac, a Mac Air with SSD drive. I wrote in this forum that I was unhappy that my 128 gig drive turned out to be only 113 gig and got many replies about the way these things are measured but I still feel that I was miss-lead as the difference is too much.

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Unfortunately what you were told is true. Fact is the industry essentially lies about their drive capacities to make them sound like they hold more than they really do. Really it does boil down to them lying about it. Everyone. If you had bought a Sony or an HP or a Dell, you'd still get the same misleading capacities. Don't blame Apple and let the others off the hook. Blame the industry. The article linked below explains it a bit.
Hard-Drive Capacity Math: Tech Clinic - Popular Mechanics

As I am on the Caribbean Island of St. Martin my Mac is designated a South American model and had been packed somewhere in the USA at which time the latest ilife 09 software disc was put into the box with the machine. This was pushed under the machine and was therefore so distorted, on unpacking, as to be unplayable. I went to my local service center to purchase the extended warranty ($250) and mentioned this useless software disc to the service guy who said he would get me a replacement from Mac. A week or so later I was informed that Mac refused to replace the disc as they did not pack it. As this computer cost over $2500 I would have thought a 50 cent Dvd would not be too much to ask to ensure customer satisfaction but then I'm old fashioned that way.

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Well then you should be talking to the people who actually damaged it. Seriously... blaming Apple for something they didn't cause? Come on! Now that said, if you push the matter hard but polite enough with Apple, I'm sure they will wind up helping you out. Sometimes you just have to try hard. Emphasize you are a first-time customer and this may sour you.

My next disappointment with the world of Mac has nothing to do with Mac as such but I tried to purchase the recovery system Undercover from Orbicule. I went to the trouble of getting a visa moneycard so I could pay on line (I refuse to have credit cards.) On filling in the online purchase form I was refused the transaction as I was informed my email service is a free service, what is that about? I thought most people had free email accounts. Does anybody do business with the goal of pleasing their customers nowadays?

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I have absolutely no idea why an email service, free or not, would have anything to do with a purchase.

It appears your issues are not with apple,

i hope everything is put right for you - to allow you to enjoy the world of mac.

Sorry to hear of your bad experiences. I tend to think that Apple should replace the disk that arrived with the computer in an unusable form. If for no other reason to maintain a happy customer. Perhaps if you were to write or email Apple they may relent and replace the disk for you.

I can see no reason why your money card would be refused simply because you have a free email account.

As for your last question, i am sorry to say that in todays world, customer service and satisfaction is a very low priority any more and "the bottom line" rules more and more. Many times penny wise and pound foolish...

What lifeisabeach said about hard drives is true, the stated capacity is niot the actual formatted capacity, no matter which OS you are using.

As for the software disk, if you purchased iLife and have registered it, contact Apple directly - they should replace the disk

As for tracking the laptop, there is a free open source alternative, that even uses the isight camera to take a picture of the felon

New Service Tracks Missing Laptops for Free - Business Center - PC World

Thanks for the feedback to my moan guys On the first point, yes I am now aware from my first post that all the manufacturers lie about the real capacity on their drives and in the world of PCs that came as no real surprise, I think I may even be able to understand the maths. I guess I just expected more from Mac and I still think it is wrong to be sold a product that states on its packaging 128 gig and when you first turn it on it tells you it is 113 gig. Just because it is common practice doesn't make it feel any better. I have put this behind me and am really enjoying learning to use my lovely Air which even keeps my coffee hot!! The ilife 09 software was no great loss to me but as it was an included part of my purchase and came in the Mac packaging I still feel it should have been replaced as a matter of customer service it is not as if I damaged it after all. I guess I was expecting more from Mac than the PC brigade and I now feel a little disappointed. As for the Undercover people, screw them I'll keep my $50 and keep my Mac under lock and key.

captainstuart said:

I guess I just expected more from Mac and I still think it is wrong to be sold a product that states on its packaging 128 gig and when you first turn it on it tells you it is 113 gig. Just because it is common practice doesn't make it feel any better.

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It is wrong and quite frankly I think it should be illegal. Unfortunately, as pointed out in the link I provided, an international commission on standards has legitimized this deception. Apple has no choice really but to play along.

I have put this behind me and am really enjoying learning to use my lovely Air which even keeps my coffee hot!! The ilife 09 software was no great loss to me but as it was an included part of my purchase and came in the Mac packaging I still feel it should have been replaced as a matter of customer service it is not as if I damaged it after all. I guess I was expecting more from Mac than the PC brigade and I now feel a little disappointed.

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As stated before... call Apple yourself and explain the matter. Their customer support is consistently rated number one for a reason. I'm sure taking matters into your own hands and calling yourself, rather than letting that shop do it, will get you replacement disks. Heck... for all you know, they didn't really contact Apple or explain the problem thoroughly. It's your choice to act or not. Getting upset at Apple for your failure to act isn't their fault.

Thank you Lifeiasabeach for your input but I am about to set off on my 6th solo trans Atlantic crossing and will be out of touch for a few weeks and when I am next online I don't think I will bother to pursue this, it is just not that important to me but it has tarnished my view of Mac or rather perhaps given me a reality check. Nothing they could do now would put the shine back on the image I had of them, that said I love my Air and I am sure I will have long term satisfaction with the product it if not the service behind it. I made them aware of a problem with my purchase and they declined to help me, I don't feel it is up to me to beg and plead for what I feel is the right solution to this situation. They have my money and now I have to accept their indifference, that appears to be the way business is done these days.

captainstuart said:

They have my money and now I have to accept their indifference, that appears to be the way business is done these days.

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You don't HAVE to. You choose to. As I said before, it's entirely possible the shop you went to didn't put enough effort, if any, into getting a replacement. Really... all you have is their word that they called. But whatever... be a sourpuss (or maybe yer just another troll). That's your decision to be one.

It wasn't the shop that contacted Mac, it was the service center that sold me the extended warranty. Yes I am now a sourpuss but what has a mythical creature that lives under a bridge got to do with this?

captainstuart said:

It wasn't the shop that contacted Mac, it was the service center that sold me the extended warranty. Yes I am now a sourpuss but what has a mythical creature that lives under a bridge got to do with this?

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You'll find that Apple and Apple Stores (not resellers) go out of their way to please customers. My guess is that you're just dealing with a rather crappy reseller. Give Apple a call directly, explain the situation and I'd be willing to bet they'll mail you out a new disc. Trust me, it's worth the trouble - iLife '09 is a huge improvement over '08.

Further to my Mac woes I have today found out that the extended warranty I purchased from the service center (Virtual Technology) on March 27th still has not been registered with Apple more than two months on. I shall be on the phone to the service center in the morning and I perhaps I will try again for a replacement software disc although I am leaving the island this week.

If Applecare is what you purchased - typically, it is not registered with Apple by the store you purchased it from. You need to open the Applecare box and follow the directions to register it.

Agreed with bobtomay - something is fishy. AppleCare comes in a retail box that should have been supplied with your purchase. It also includes some diagnostic software that you'll need. I have a very bad feeling about this dealer.

This is what you should have received with your AppleCare purchase:

MacBook Air / MacBook - AppleCare Protection Plan - Apple Store (U.S.)

The box depicted is exactly what you're supposed to receive. Inside, it contains an installation disc that also has TechTool Deluxe on it. The disc automatically registers the warranty and applies it to your Mac. Dealer intervention is not needed and should not be done on your behalf (after all, the warranty is on your machine and in your name). If you didn't get this, you either don't have AppleCare or the dealer supplied you with their own warranty, which would only be valid at their store (or stores).

If they did portray it as actually being AppleCare, then you may have been defrauded. Be sure to get resolution on this before you disembark.

OK just to clarify, I bought the Macbook Air from a computer shop, herein St. Martin, called Blue point on Feb 28. When I told them about the faulty ilife disc they told me they did not have a replacement and they were not allowed to make a copy from one in another Mac box and told me to contact Apple direct myself. As I did not have a internet connection at that time I did nothing about this until on reflection some three weeks later I decided to buy the Apple-care further two year warranty. As the AppleMac approved service agent (Virtual Technology) was considerably closer to me than the store I bought the machine from I went to them for this warranty and I paid them the $249 fee on March 27. I also told them of the problem with the software disc and gave it to them so they could see the problem. It was bent at least 8mm out of true (flat) they filled out a work sheet and told me that they would request a replacement from Mac for me but about a week later they informed me by phone that Mac had refused to replace it as they did not pack the disc, which was an upgrade, in the box. I have heard nothing further from the service center. I checked with Mac today expecting to see I have a three year (in total) warranty and found I do not, just the normal one year. I shall be contacting the service center in the morning in full sourpuss mode!

captainstuart said:

I shall be contacting the service center in the morning in full sourpuss mode!

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Definitely think you're justified in doing that. I absolutely can't imagine Apple would refuse to replace a clearly faulty disc, and I'm just dumbfounded that the collected your money for the AppleCare warranty without actually supplying the product!

Do let us know how it works out.

As a side note, I envy you staying in St. Martin. I visited St. Martin on a Carribean cruise about 5 years ago and it was my favorite stop by far. I particularly enjoyed a spice they call "Columbo" (used to season chicken) and found it fascinating how the Dutch and French could share an island like that. It's like living in two completely different cultures at once. If I could pick any place to live, St. Martin (or is it "St Marteen"? ) would definitely be my top choice.

captainstuart said:

they would request a replacement from Mac for me but about a week later they informed me by phone that Mac had refused to replace it as they did not pack the disc, which was an upgrade, in the box. I have heard nothing further from the service center. I checked with Mac today expecting to see I have a three year (in total) warranty and found I do not, just the normal one year. I shall be contacting the service center in the morning in full sourpuss mode!

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I feel for you, but PLEASE stop calling Apple Inc., Mac. You have a Mac from Apple.

As for the drive space issue, you can check with my drive calculator on my Reported Hard Drive Cap acitypage that your drive should have formatted capacity of about 119GB. You can confirm that by opening "System Profiler", in the Utilities folder, and clicking on that "Serial-ATA" hardware entry, then look that the "Capacity" entry. Keep in mind some of that capacity has been taken up by OS X and any software you may have added.

Note, I do not know if SSD drives use some overhead that impact your useable capacity. I haven't seen anything that states that.

captainstuart: Wow, it is understandable that your perception of Apple is not that good. I think the reseller should take responsibility and help you out though. You should get the iLife 09 CD. You have payed for it I assume, and if the CD is damaged it is not your problem. It is the resellers problem!

How are you going to install iLife 09 on your Air? Do you have a CD drive to use..?

I apologise for the Mac /Apple thing, I have it now, I have a Mac made by Apple. As I said all the advertising and labeling of my Mac Air S.S.D. states 128 gigs but on turning it on and looking in the system, two capacity figures are quoted 113 gigs and 112.7 gigs. Space available with the OX 10.5 system installed 93 gigs. This was before I added a single thing to this machine and was the reason for my very first post on this forum. I have no idea if this huge difference is in anyway caused by the hard drive being solid state. I would like to know as I am sure other would others given that these drives are expected to be more common. (Mac laptops,I feel cheated)
As for installing the ilife 09 should I ever get one, yes I have the MacAir Superdrive a $128 purchase I would not have made had I known that it will not work with any other machine and most important, given that the Air has only one usb slot, it will not work though ANY kind of hub. I guess I should have spent some time on here before buying and that is why I am posting in order to inform others of these things so they can make informed decisions. I am only passing on my experiences and not knocking Apple I love almost everything about my Mac and the way it works but as you see it has not all been a good experience so far. I will let you know the outcome of my visit to the service agent who has had my money for two months and not supplied the Applecare I paid for.